Do we still need a bachelor degree?

By Moran Sapir, Aug 9, 2018

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Grow up, study hard, go to college, work hard. Does that sound familiar? That is pretty much what we have all had driven into us at an early age. If you want to succeed in life, you need a college degree to make it happen. We live in a modern society where conventions are being thrown out of the window, so is the bachelor’s degree really all that relevant anymore?

YouTube generation

People can now make money in what once would have been seen as unconventional methods. Take a YouTube personality, for example. They can now earn millions of dollars just through having a fun or interesting personality, and providing content that people are looking for. It doesn’t require a college degree to buy yourself some recording equipment and to think of some content to talk about. It could be something you are incredibly passionate about, or something that is especially popular in the world. YouTube personalities can make millions of dollars from advertising revenue as the more people watching their videos means the more money in their pockets.

A degree doesn’t equal success

There are thousands of people out there who have got that piece of paper letting everybody know they have a degree. Well just because they have that piece of paper, doesn’t mean they are any more successful than anybody else. Sure it’ll help get you through the door, but there’s more to work than having a degree. You’ll need to be hardworking and have the right attitude to be attractive to a prospective employer. Roughly 35 percent of jobs require a bachelor’s degree, that means that there is over 60 percent of the jobs out there not demanding one. You can always start your way from the bottom of a company and work your way up, people respect hard work and will always spot talent if it’s there to be seen.

Some examples

There are a bunch of successful people who didn’t graduate college, showing us all that you don’t need to spend four years in higher education if it really isn’t the path for you. Many famous celebrities such as Ellen Degeneres, Russell Simmons, and Rachael Ray are all worth millions of dollars but have no bachelor’s degree to shout about.

Some of the wealthiest people in the world dropped out of college but still made huge successes of their lives. Dave Thomas, former CEO of food chain Wendy’s, didn’t go to college. He worked in a restaurant after school and eventually opened up his first Wendy’s in 1969. At the time of his death, he was worth $99 million. Tech legend Larry Ellison is another example. He dropped out of college twice, never completing his degree, but his skill in computer programming was already at such a high level he started his own tech company, Oracle, anyway. That company is now worth over $60 billion.

There is no easy route to success, you’re going to have to work hard to make your life a success, but it will all be worth it if you put in the time. A bachelor’s degree will give you a headstart to a stable and well-paid job, but it isn’t a guarantee, and you might find that not getting a degree is the best thing you’ll ever do, or don’t do.